A.I. Artificial Intelligence

[SciphonicStranger]

I recently watched this movie from 2001 for the first time. It was a Stanley Kubrick project that he turned over to Steven Spielberg and probably about the darkest Spielberg movie that I've ever seen. It's a good movie however IMO it is way too long and could have used some better editing. I got lucky in that I had started watching it late in the day and made it through the swimming pool scene before finishing it on a 2nd night. It ended up feeling like I was watching two completely different movies.

Movie 1 - robot child trying to fit into a human family, and movie 2 - robot child trying to survive in a dystopian future world where not everyone is fond of robots. I guess you could also say there was a movie 3 after robot child goes to Coney Island and makes a wish that reminded me of the movie Big. I read some reviews and many found the ending to be a let down. I just thought it was weird.

 

[Joelist]

I agree it is kinda overlong. It's a decent enough film but yes the pacing is inconsistent.

 

[Joelist]

I also suggest cross posting this review to the social site so we can take advantage of its discussion format.

 

[SciphonicStranger]

I agree it is kinda overlong. It's a decent enough film but yes the pacing is inconsistent.

I was struck by the scene where a dump truck deposited robot debris into a landfill - immediately followed by robots picking through the site looking for replacement parts. It reminded me of the Star Trek Next Generation episode where they had a trial to determine if Data was property or an individual life form - property meaning he was disposable.

 

[Lord Ba'al]

Hey Stranger! A.I. was alright, but I indeed had similar feelings as you when I watched it. As far as I recall anyway It's been quite a while. I wonder whether the movie has gained in popularity with the surge in AI over the past few years.

 

[SciphonicStranger]

Hey Stranger! A.I. was alright, but I indeed had similar feelings as you when I watched it. As far as I recall anyway It's been quite a while. I wonder whether the movie has gained in popularity with the surge in AI over the past few years.

I noticed that Roger Ebert wrote a negative review in 2001 and followed it up with a more favorable review in 2011. The movie was a bit hard to digest.

 

[Joelist]

This one and Bicentennial Man were both a bit of a slog. I liked Minority Report better.